Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

[book: A Dame To Kill For] is where [author: Frank Miller]'s Sin City begins to show its true brilliance. It is here that the focus shifts to the other characters and we begin to see the myriad of ways that Sin City connects the various threads. There are call-backs to the first comic, things seen in the background now the main plot, Marv going about his business elsewhere. Everything is happening at once, nearly, and I shudder to think just what a time-line for all of these volumes might look like...

[book: A Dame to Kill For] is a natural noir film. Here we have Dwight, now living relatively clean, pulled back into his old life and ways by nothing but a woman. Here we have Ava, his ex-lover, trapped in a marriage with a man who hurts show more her - or does he? What is truly going on? Dwight finds himself in over his head, giving in to the beast within. Ava might be a dame to kill for, but is she a dame to die for? Or is she after something more than anyone suspects?

Ava is a beautiful femme fetale, and Dwight one of my favorite Sin City characters. Here we're introduced more fully to the women of Old Town and their own style of justice. Here we meet deadly little Miho, and get a better look at Marv and his relationship of sorts with Nancy. It's a beautiful, deadly, twisted universe that only expands with each volume. It's good to be back in it, you just can't stay too long. show less

Out of all the Sin City graphic novels, A Dame to Kill For is by far my favorite. It’s the first story that introduces Dwight and his relationship with Gail and the rest of the women of Old Town. We are also introduced to Dwight’s weakness, an old flame named Ava. This graphic novel is everything you want from a hyper noir tale about a femme fatale and a broken man who just wanted to live peacefully until he was dragged back into the fire.

It’s also devilishly funny at the most opportune times.

“Sin City: A Dame to Kill for” is better than its predecessor in every way accept the main protagonist. Though Dwight is good, Marv still outshines him.

Frank Miller has pushed the style and art even further in our second visit to Sin City. Though the art is still black and white, he does an amazing amount with it. The framing is excellent, the tone and mood are thick enough to cut. Though there are not many shapes or figures in the negative space, everything is brought to an emotional high within the black and white world. These are moments and drawings in this twisted case of love and brutality that could be part of a minimalist exhibit.

The story is better than expected. Both this and the previous volume have been about what men show more will do for love in a city so full of cheap love the real stuff is hard to find. But here the twists and turns are interesting and dynamic, backed with an even better expression of style. This graphic novel is a quintessentially demented noir love story. Every page is engaging and every plot point interesting.

The one aspect that has not improved is the main character, Dwight. That is not to say he's a bad character, in fact he is a very memorable. Watching him struggling with his own “beast” and how the city affects him is empowering and shattering. However his humanity is not quite so bare-bones and on-display as Marv's. In the first Sin City, Marv was tortured, as well but the sympathy you felt for him was off-set his brutality perfectly. Here you feel more righteousness for Dwight’s plight than broken by his personal conflict, making his journey a little less impactful. It is still good but Marv steals the show.

If you liked the original Sin City or noir or detective stories you will likely love this graphic novel. If you like good visual story telling you'll be hard pressed to find anything better. Sin City will reel you in to its shady streets. show less

This tale is the tale of Dwight and Ava, a fool in love with a fool that's messy. Fan favorite Marv shows up in this, at a point helping Dwight rescue Ava from her abusive husband Damien and his Kato, Manute. Everything Dwight thinks he knows comes biting him in the ass in this one, but its worth it to get acquainted more intimately with Old Town and the chicks that run it. This is brutal, bloody, and non stop action.

Like the previous book, the artwork isn't the best while the storytelling is top notch. If you can ignore it, you'll enjoy this.

The series continues. This time we have a very luscious femme fatale and the man she betrays. Ava is a predatory gold digger of the worst kind, and yet, a woman no man can resist. Dwight is the man she betrayed and left for a rich dude. When Ava reappears looking for Dwight, things go downhill from there leading to the final confrontation. As in the first volume of the series, the dark art style complements the story very well. In fact, it is a pleasure to read the tale just for the art. The story itself, once it gets rolling, is fast paced, making this book a pretty fast and entertaining read. One thing I found interesting is how characters like Marv from the previous volume reappear, showing how the tales in the series intertwine. show more Overall, I am liking this series and will keep on reading it. I may have to reread it in fact. show less

I thought it would be fun in anticipation for the new Sin City movie A Dame to kill for to read the comic that the movie is based upon. I loved the first movie (Actually bought it today and will try to re-watch it again soon) and I hope that the sequel will be just as good.

Anyway the story in Sin City: A Dame to kill for is quite simple: Dwight is working as a photographer taking pictures of men having affairs with women. He gets contacted after a job by his old flame Ava Lord and she is the dame with a capital D for him. She is miserable in her marriage and scared and, of course, he will do anything to help her. And of course, he enlists Marv to help him. And that’s as much I will give away of the plot.

I found the story very show more engrossing. It’s gritty, dark, noir and very much brutal to read and if you like that kind of graphic novels then you will love this one.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review! show less

This is a fast-paced read that will have you quickly hooked. It begins at a time earlier than the first book in the series, with a few connections from The Hard Goodbye coming in about midway. The two main characters, Dwight and Ava, are more interesting to me than Marv was in the first book, and Dwight’s motivations are much more logical than Marv’s. I enjoy Miller’s to-the-point dialogue, which works well with the noir feel of these books.